What You Need To Know Before You Invest, From Maria Bartiromo (VIDEO)

Financial expert and anchor of CNBC's "Closing Bell" Maria Bartiromo spoke about how a young person can begin to invest when she visited me on Mondays With Marlo.

If you'd like more financial knowledge and advice on how to make your money grow, check out Maria's advice:

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Maria Bartiromo's Top 10 Tips

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To avoid getting ripped-off, follow this one simple rule: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Don't expect overnight riches; invest for the long-term.

There are three places you should put your money: a savings account for emergencies, a 401(k), for retirement, and a "mad money" bucket, for treats.

Interest rates on saving accounts are hardly keeping pace with inflation these days. A good alternative is to invest your money in dividend-paying stocks. Some deliver returns of between 4% and 7%, including dividend-paying ETFs.

Nothing is growing as fast as data, so any job in technology is a job of the future. As we're all living longer and struggling with problems of obesity, and such, health care is another top field for jobs.

We all know how easy it is to fall into a debt trap with credit cards. Only use a credit card if you can pay more than the minimum each month. Ideally, you'd pay off the balance each billing cycle. American Express, for example, requires you to pay it all back in one shot.

Think outside the box; you never know where it'll lead. It could be the biggest mistake of your life, or a great career move. If it doesn't work, you can always brush yourself off and start over again.

Put your house on the market and see what kind of numbers you get. Don't try to time the market. Be realistic; it's not the worst part of the crisis, but we probably have at least two more years for the housing sector to recover.

Don't get distracted by hype. Instead, look at company fundamentals: revenue growth, earnings growth, the management team, insider ownership, and the company's product. Ask yourself: will this product be in demand in the coming years?